Neohydatothrips portoricensis (Morgan, 1925: 316).

Original reference: Morgan AC (1925) A new genus, a new subgenus and seven new species of Thysanoptera from Porto Rico. Florida Entomologist 9: 1–7.

Family

Thripidae, Sericothripinae

Nomenclatural information

http://thrips.info/wiki/Neohydatothrips_portoricensis

Diagnosis

Body bicoloured: head, thorax and abdominal tergites VII–X brown, tergites I–V distinctively paler medially, tergite VI yellow with weak shading medially. All tarsi and tibiae yellow; antennal segment I–II yellow, III–IV yellow with brown apex, V yellow at base, VI–VIII brown; fore wing banded, mainly brown with clearly defined sub-basal and sub-apical pale band. Head with several transversal lines of sculpture and with an occipital apodeme close to posterior margin of eyes; three pairs of ocellar setae; ocellar region transversely striate and with internal markings. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with forked sense cones. Pronotum with elongated transverse reticles on anterior half, but with dark pronotal blotch bearing irregular striae; one pair of posteroangular setae developed; reticles with internal markings.Meso & metathoracic endofurca with spinula present. Metanotum with transverse lines of reticulation anteriorly and longitudinal lines posteromedially; paired campaniform sensilla absent; two pairs of long setae close to anterior margin. Metasternum anterior border rounded. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing with first setal row essentially complete and second vein with only two setae. Abdominal tergites I–VIII covered with microtrichia arranged in closely spaced rows; II–VIII with a pair of long close together median setae; posterior margins of tergites II to VI with a fringe of small microtrichia medially; VIII with long posteromarginal comb of microtrichia. Sternites covered with microtrichia, including medially; three pairs of long posteromarginal setae. Both sexes fully winged.

Male without pore plates on abdominal sternites.

Intraspecific variation

Not recorded.

Genus and similar species information

Neohydatothrips includes about 100 species, mainly from tropical countries (Mound & Tree 2009). They all have abdominal sternites and lateral thirds of tergites covered by rows of fine microtrichia. It is closely related to Hydatothrips but the metasternal anterior border differs in being transverse(Lima & Mound 2016a).Neohydatothrips portoricensis is a large dark species, with red internal pigment, and like N. fimbriatus it has a fringe of small microtrichia medially on the posterior margins of tergites II to VI. The metanotal sculpture is linear and longitudinal, but has duplicate striae alongside the main sculptured striae. The pronotal sculpture is formed of narrow transverse reticulations, with many longitudinal markings in between the main striae. A key to the Neotropical species of Neohydatothrips is provided by Lima & Mound (2016a).

World distribution

Described from Puerto Rico, it is now widely distributed in Central America and Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/30144 

Life history

Breeding on leaves, and possibly related to Solanaceae plants. In Brazil, adults are frequently collected on Solanum spp. leaves.

Economic importance

Not recorded.

References suggested

Lima EFB & Mound LA (2016a). Species-richness in Neotropical Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Zootaxa 4162(1): 1–45.

Lima EFB & Mound LA (2016b). Systematic relationships of the Thripidae subfamily Sericothripinae (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Zoologischer Anzeiger 263: 24–32.

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2009) Identification and host-plant associations of Australian Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) Zootaxa 1983: 1–22.